In Focus: The Dyche is still right for Burnley

The best news of Burnley’s season so far is that boss Sean Dyche has signed a new deal at Turf Moor.

Though they are winless in the Premier League, Clarets chief Dyche has put pen to paper on a four-year contract.

If he sees out the new deal, the top flight’s current longest-serving manager would have been in charge for just shy of 13 years.

But is it a good move for Burnley and their boss?   

New owners on the money for Dyche

There is no questioning that Dyche is happy to commit to Burnley after they were taken over by ALK Capital at the start of 2021.

The 50-year-old was unhappy with the investment from the previous owners but now feels he can take the club forward with new men at the helm.

And the bond he has built with the Turf Moor faithful meant it would take a lot for him to walk away.

He said: “It is nice to be able to get this deal completed and now look towards the future of this football club, and its constant evolution.

“I have a strong affinity with the area and our supporters after so many years here and I look forward to putting in the hard work needed to keep the club moving in the right direction.

“It was an important summer for us to add talent and depth to the team, but the work doesn’t stop there. As a club we’re about developing and improving players and the environment we foster here is so important to that.”

Premier League Burnley

This is the sixth consecutive season that the Clarets have been plying their trade in the top flight.

Not since an unbroken spell between 1947 and 1971 have they spent that long at the pinnacle of the domestic game.

As clubs chop and change their managers to try and stay in the promised land, Burnley have rarely been troubled with Dyche at the helm.

The football is not always attractive nor everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mightily effective.

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Dyche is the only reason the Lancashire outfit have remained in the Premier League.

Jordan told talkSPORT: “Huge benefit for Burnley — the one thing that keeps them in the Premier League is Sean Dyche.

“I never like to give too much credit to one individual, especially if they’re employees, because you build them up to be more important than the business.

“But in this instance, without Sean Dyche, Burnley are in a whole world of trouble.

“To get him to sign a four-year deal, fabulous. Fabulous commitment from Sean, strange that he doesn’t feel the need to test himself somewhere else.

“But if he’s comfortable at Burnley, who are we to question it? It’s fabulous for the new owners. That’s one problem off the table.”

Unfashionable

Dyche signing his extension suggests he does not believe a big job offer is around the corner.

Thirty years ago, Dyche would have been snapped up by one of the country’s largest clubs to try and guide them to trophies.

He is a successful British manager who has more than proven himself in the top flight — guiding Burnley to seventh and a Europa League spot in the 2017-18 season shows what he can do.

But it is difficult to see a club like Aston Villa or Everton take a punt on Dyche now, let alone one of the big six.

The former Watford boss’ style of football is always held against him, while a squad featuring a majority of British and Irish players is unusual in the modern era.

It leads to question marks over how some of his old-school methods would go down with foreign stars.

Rebuilding project

On top of that, Dyche may feel he deserves to be in charge for the coming investment.

After establishing Burnley as a Premier League side, there is the expectation that they will have more money to spend now.

Though he could move on, Dyche has spoken about rebuilding the squad and that appears to be a challenge that excites him.

Ahead of the Arsenal defeat, he said: “We’re trying to reshape the squad over the next few windows. 

“It’s something I tried to put in process in the middle of the last board, it wasn’t easy, so we’re kind of playing catch-up a little bit.

“We’ve certainly made what I think is a good start. Altering the age band that the group’s working in while also believing in the group, because I think we’ve got a strong group.”

The safe option

For Burnley, it was a no-brainer to keep Dyche in charge.

They may only have one point after five games but they have struggled early on before and ended up well clear of the drop zone.

From the outside, it would seem like less of a clear decision for Dyche to stay.

But he may have looked at the likes of Eddie Howe, who is yet to take a new job after leaving Bournemouth, and decided he is best off staying put.

And while that is good news for Burnley, it is undoubtedly bad news for all those top-flight clubs who dread a trip to the hostile Turf Moor.